Cattle-stanchion.



A. FRITZ- CATTLE STANCHION,

APPLICATION FILED AUG-10' 1914- RENEWED DEC. [4. I916- I 7 1,217,435. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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A-. FRITZ. @A'TT'LE @TANCHION. APPLICATION men we. no. 1914. RENEWED! vac, 14. ms.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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CATTLE-STANCHION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Application filed August 10, 1914., Serial No. 856,127. Renewed December 14, 1916. Serial No. 137,057.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AXEL FRITZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cattle-stanchions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in cattle stanchions and has for its object to provide a simple, strong and easily operated stanchion which is especially adapted to be arranged in series, the stanchions constituting said series being arranged to operate simultaneously to free the cattle in cases of fire or other sudden emergencies and so that the' same'may be substantially withdrawn from the path of the cattle, presenting to them a free and uninterrupted passage either forwardly or rearwardly as desired.

Furthermore, said stanchions are adapted to operate one at a time and independently of each other to permit the-freeing of the cattle held therein. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide means for locking said stanchions either in their open or closed positions.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a pair of stanchions embodying my invention operatively connected together. 7

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 illustrating in plan one ofthe stanchions, the dotted line position of said stanchion indicating the extent to which the same may be rotated in one direction.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 illustrating the locking means for the carrier frame.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1. 1 V

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the stanchions illustrated in Fig. 1 as viewed from the line55 in said figure and in the direction of the arrow shown on said line.

Fig. 6 is a' detail sectional view through a portion of a head-piece and a portion of one of the side-bars as indicated by the line 6-6 (Fig. 5) the dotted lines in said figure indicating the position of said side bar when said stanchion is opened. I v

Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the carrier frame revolved to its inoperative position and with the side bars withdrawn from the spacer.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section through the head-piece taken on line 88 of Fig. 6.

Like numerals refer-to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 is a manger or trough of a cattle stall having uprights 11 arranged at opposite sides thereof which are supported by braces or separating members 12. The uprights 11 constitute supports for the stanchions which preferably embody in their construction a carrier frame 13 Se cured to a shaft 14: which, in turn, is journaled to rotate in bearings 15 attached to the upper ends ofthe supports 11.

A pair of side bars 16 is suspended from the carrier frame 13 and between each pair of uprights 11, said pairs of side bars being pivoted'to swing about .both horizontal and vertical axes. The lower ends of the side bars 16 are arranged to slide in a spacer 17 pivoted at 18 substantially midway of its length upon a support 19 secured to the forward edge 20 of the manger 10. The spacer 17 is adapted to retain the side bars 16 in substantially parallel relation one to the other, in which position the cattle may be locked or heldin their positions in the stalls.

When it is desired to release the cattle in all of the stanchions simultaneously the side bars 16 are adapted to be withdrawn from said spacers, thus freeing the lower ends thereof and permitting them to be swung outwardly relatively to each other. The

preferable method of accomplishing this result is to rotate the carrier frame and the shaft 14 to which said carrier frame 1s secured to elevate said side bars over the heads of the cattle held thereby, thus making a clear and uninterrupted path in either direction.

To facilitate this operation the side bars 16 are pivotally'secured to a head-piece 21, preferably consisting. of a U-shaped metal bar rotatably arranged in a bearing 22 and provided with transversely disposed pins 23 adapted to limit the movement of said headpiece relatively to said bearing, the axis of said pivot being horizontally-disposed. In addition to being horizontally pivoted said head-piece is arranged to swing about a vertical axis, substantially alining with the axis of the spacer 17, permitting said.

stanchion to be rotated by the cattle. In the carrying out of this arrangement the bearing 22 is extended forwardly and surrounds and rotatably engages a vertically disposed rod 24 which constitutes a portion of the carrier frame 13.

To disconnect the side bars from the spacer 17 the shaft 14 is rotated as hereinbefore stated. During this rotation the head-piece 21 revolves about its horizontal axis and permits said side bars to hang substantially vertical, the holes in said spacer being large enough to permit free movement of said side bars therethrough. It is essential before this operation may be accomplished that the head-piece 21 occupy substantially the position illustrated in full lines, Fig. 2. Otherwise, it will be impossible to rotate said shaft.

To prevent the head-piece from swinging entirely around the vertical rod 24 either before or after the side bars carried thereby have been released from the spacer 17, means are provided to engage said head-pieces for the purpose of limiting the pivotal move ment thereof, said means preferably consisting of a second vertically disposed rod 25 arranged substantially parallel with the rod 24 and at a slight distance therefrom, said second rod constituting a support for the rod 24, said latter rod being connected to said rod 25 by a bracket 26 secured to the lower end of said rod 25. The rod 25 is secured to the shaft 14, preferably by means of a T 27 arranged midway of the supports 11. A weight 28 is mounted on the shaft 14 substantially diametrically opposite the side bars 16 and cross-head 21 to counterbalance the weights of said parts in order to facilitate the operation of releasing the cattle therefrom.

To reset or close the stanchions after the series has been simultaneously opened, the shaft 14 is rotated to return the head-pieces and their depending side bars to their lower-- most positions, as indicated in Fig. 1, after which the lower ends of said side bars are slipped into the holes in the spacers 17 by slightly elevating the head-piece 21 on the rods 24.

It is not always desirable to release all of the cattle at one time. Therefore, means have been provided to permit said stanchions to be opened independently of each other. For this purpose the side bars 16 are connected with their respective ends of the headpiece 21 by links 29 pivoted at 30 in a groove 31 formed in said side bars and at 32 to the end of the head-piece 21 and within the groove 33 in said head-piece. When the side bars 16 are in their closed positions the links 29 will be arranged parallel with the median axial lines of said side bars and substantially contained within said bars, said bars each having a transverse opening 34 adapted to receive the ends of the headpiece 21 to which said links are connected.

Collars 35 are arranged on the side bars 16 above the head-piece 21 andengage said links when in their vertical position to retain said side bars in vertical positions. To release said side bars the collars 35 are moved upwardly from contact with the head-piece 21 to points on said side bars above the pivots 30 and against stops 36.

The grooves 31 in the side bars 16 open on the inside of said bars permitting said links to swing out of said grooves when the collars 35 are elevated as hereinbefore stated and the side bars 16 to be lowered to the positions indicated in dotted lines at the right hand side of Fig. 1 and again in Fig. 6, said links being limited in their pivotal movements by stops 37 on the head-piece 21.

lVith the side bars lowered to the positions referred to it will be evident that a space will be provided therebetween sufii cicnt to permit the cattle to withdraw their heads from the stanchions. To close the stanchion after this operation has taken place the side bars 16 are swung upwardly to their normal positions over the ends of the head-piece 21 and the collars 35 thereon moved downwardly to engage said links, thus locking said side bars in their upright positions.

To prevent the cattle from rocking the carrier frames 13 sufiiciently to disconnect the lower ends of the side bars 16 means are provided for locking the shaft 14 against rotation from either the position illustrated in Fig. 1, which is the closed position of the stanchion, or from the position illustrated in Fig. 7, which is the open position thereof. This means preferably consists of a rod 38 slidably arranged in the shaft 14. A key 39 is secured to said rod and adapted to project through slots 40 formed in opposite sides of said shaft 14, said key projecting substantially beyond opposite sides of said shaft and adapted to engage notches 41 preferably formed in the bearings 15. A spring 42 is interposed between the end of the rod 38 and a cap 43 attached to the end of said shaft, whereby said key 39 may be yieldingly retained in engagement with said notches.

To unlock the shaft from said bearing the rod 38 is reciprocated to compress the spring and withdraw the key 39 from the notches 41, thus permitting said shaft to be rotated substantially 180,which is sufiicient to move said side bars from their operative to their inoperative positions, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 7, respectively.

To operate the rod 38 to unlock said frame 'a hand lever 44 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 14 in a bracket 45 which is clamped to said shaft, said lever being arranged to rock longitudinally of said shaft, the lower end of said lever extending through a slot t6 in the shaft 1% and into a recess 17 formed in said rod. In addition to the unlocking of the shaft l-Jc by the rocking thereof, said lever is adapted to be utilized to rotate the shaft 1 1- in the bearings 15, the movement of said lever to accomplish this result being substantially at right angles to the unlocking movement thereo From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple and efficient means are n'ovided for accomplishing the objects of the invention, but while the elements herein shown and described are well adapted to perform the functions set forth, it is obvious that various minor changes may be made in the proportions, shape and arrangement of the several parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is: V

1. A cattle stanchion having, in combina tion, a carrier frame, a pair of side bars pivotally suspended from said carrier frame, so as to permit the lower ends thereof to be swung forwardly and upwardly and also away from each other, a spacer for said side bars, and means adapted to move said carrier frame to withdraw said side bars from said spacer.

2. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a carrier frame, a pair of side bars suspended from said carrier frame and pivoted thereon to rock about both horizontal and vertical axes, a spacer for said side bars, and means to move said carrier frame to disengage said side bars from said spacer.

3. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a carrier frame pivotally arranged to swing about a horizontal axis, a headpiece pivotally mounted adjacent one end of said carrier frame, a pair of side bars pivotally suspended from said headpiece, a weight secured to the opposite end of said carrier frame and adapted to substantially counterbalance said side bars and said headpiece, a spacer for said side bars, and means adapted to swing said carrier frame about its axis to withdraw said side bars from said spacer.

4. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a carrier frame pivotally arranged to swing about a horizontal axis, a pair of side bars pivotally suspended from said carrier frame, each of said side bars being adapted to be swung about a horizontal pivot disposed substantially at right angles to the horizontal axis of said carrier frame, a spacer for said side bars, and means to swing said carrier frame about its axis to disengage said side bars from said spacer.

5. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a carrier frame pivotally arranged to swing about a horizontal axis, a pair of side bars pivotally suspended from said carrier frame, a spacer for said side bars, means adapted to lock said carrier frame in a position with said side bars engaging said spacer, and means adapted to be operated to unlock said carrier frame and to swing the same to disengage said side bars from said spacer.

6. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, an upper support, a headpiece pivotally mounted on said upper support, a lower support, a spacer pivotally arranged on said lower support, a pair of side bars suspended from said headpiece and having sliding engagement with said spacer, and means to elevate said headpiece and said side bars to unlock said side bars from said spacer.

7 A cattle stanchion having, in combination, an upper support, a head-piece arranged to revolve about said upper support, a spacer, a pair of side bars pivotally suspended from said head-piece and in sliding engagement with said spacer, means for locking said headpiece in a plurality of positions, and means adapted to unlock said head-piece and to revolve the same from one of said positions to another.

8. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a head-piece pivotally mounted to swingabout a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, a spacer mounted to swing about a vertical axis arranged substantially in alinement with the vertical axis for said headpiece, a pair of side bars suspended from said head-piece and in slidable engagement with said spacer, a link pivotally connecting said head-piece with each of said side bars, said links being normally contained substantially within said side bars, and a collar adapted to surround each of said side bars and the link therein to lock said bars in their vertical positions.

9. A cattle stanchion having, in combina-- tion, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of carrier frames mounted on said shaft, a pair of side bars suspended from each of said carrier frames, a spacer for the lower ends of each pair of side bars, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said shaft to move in a plane containing the axis of said shaft and means connected with said lever adapted to be moved by the rocking of said lever on said shaft and to lock said shaft against rotation. I

10. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a head-piece mounted to swing about vertical and horizontal axes, a pair of side bars, each having a transverse opening adapted to receive the ends of said headpiece, a link pivotally connecting each of said side bars with the adjacent end of said head-piece, said links adapted to permit a lateral movement of said bars relatively to said head-piece, a spacer for the lower ends of said side bars, and a collar slidable on each of said side bars adapted to engage the link connected therewith to lock said side bars in their upright positions relatively to said head-piece.

11. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a shaft, a carrier frame fast to said shaft, a head-piece, a pair of side bars suspended from said head-piece, a space-r for the lower ends of said side bars and means to rotate said carrier frame to withdraw said side bars from said spacer, said headpiece adapted to slide vertically on said carrier frame to permit the replacing of said side bars in said spacer.

12. A cattle stanchion having, in combination, a plurality of supports, a shaft rotatably mounted on said supports, a plurality of carrier frames secured to and adapted to rotate with said shaft, a pair of side bars suspended from each of said carrier frames, a separator for said side bars, sald side bars being adapted to be withdrawn from their respective separators by the rotation of said carrier frame, a rod slidably arranged Within said shaft, a key secured to said rod and adapted to project through a slot in said shaft into engagement with notches in one of said supports to lock said shaft against rotation, a spring adapted to retain said key Within said notches, and a lever pivotally mounted on said shaft adapted to be rocked to reciprocate said rod and unlock said shaft from said support, said lever being also adapted to rotate said shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AXEL FRITZ. Witnesses:

SYDNEY E. TAFT, MARGARET E. HORN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

